


Conductor!Gold Series

by Cardinal_Daughter



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-30 06:03:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12102360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cardinal_Daughter/pseuds/Cardinal_Daughter
Summary: Gold conducts the renowned Storybrooke orchestra. His world is turned upside down when a new violinist named Belle French is hired.





	1. Audition

Richard Gold sat at his desk looking over the sheet music to the next piece he would be presenting to the orchestra. The concert was in a few weeks and he knew he would receive some flack over introducing another piece so late in the game, but his musicians were talented, and they could rise to the challenge.   
  
Gold was interrupted from his thoughts by a knock on his door. “Enter,” he called out dryly, his Scottish brogue thick in his distraction. Archie Hopper entered, kind smile plastered onto his face and he shut the door.   
  
“I got her,” he said happily and Gold looked up at him and arched an eyebrow.   
  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Gold said humorously, and Archie tilted his head toward the door.   
  
“The new violinist. I got her.”   
  
Gold’s eyebrow arched even further. “Hopper, I thought we discussed that we would be making a joint decision on this.”   
  
They’d been looking for a couple weeks for a new violinist after a member of their orchestra had passed away due to a heart condition. It had been sudden and left the entire orchestra in shock, but they’d carried on despite the pain.   
  
“I know we did, but Richard, but she came in for an interview about an hour ago, apparently she knows Ms. Lucas from university and drove down here to audition. Honestly, I’ve never heard anything like it.”   
  
“I’ll be the judge of that,” Gold said skeptically. “She’s out there?”   
  
Archie nodded. “Should I bring her in?”   
  
Gold nodded, rolling his eyes after Archie rushed out to grab the musician. This was the last thing he needed, he thought to himself. Archie was a wonderful program director, but Gold felt the task of hiring members of the orchestra should be left to him.   
  
The door opened again and Gold felt his breath escape him. A petite your woman walked in, bright blue eyes looking around excitedly, long brown curls cascading over a pretty dark blue dress. She held a violin case in both hands and stood primly, waiting patiently. He recovered and stood, leaning over his desk and extending his hand. “Good afternoon, Miss-”   
  
“French,” the girl said and Gold was amazed that her voice was as lovely her the rest of her. “But you can call me Belle. And you must be Mr. Richard Gold.”   
  
He nodded, thinking it better to say as little as possible, lest he say something foolish. After waiting a moment, she nodded down to her case and said, “Mr. Hopper said you wanted to hear me play?”   
  
Again, Gold nodded, before forcing himself to spit out a quick “yes”.   
  
She smiled. “Do you have anything specific in mind?”   
  
Without really thinking, Gold picked up the sheet music he’d been studying earlier and handed it to her. She took it from him and glanced over the score before her eyes lit up. “One of my favorites,” she whispered gently before setting the score on his desk and pulling out her violin. She tuned it briefly, and when she was pleased with the sound, settled the violin into place, took a breath, and began to play.   
  
If Gold had been dumbstruck by her beauty, he was even more awed by her grace when she played. The melody swirled around him, filling him with the emotions the piece was meant to induce and it left him breathless. It was absolute perfection; the way her fingers caressed the strings of her instrument, the way her eyes closed softly as she lost herself in the notes. And the song itself! He’d never heard it played with such precision, such passion. She played several measures before gently removing the bow from the strings, allowing the song to fade away into silence and looked at Gold, who stood with his mouth slightly agape.   
  
“Was that all right?” She asked, suddenly nervous over the fact that he was gaping at her. After a moment, Gold composed himself and threw a brief glance over at Archie before coming around the desk slowly, extending his hand one more time.   
  
“Welcome to the Storybrooke Orchestra, Ms. French,” he said softly, and the smile she rewarded him with was the most beautiful he’d ever seen.    


	2. Tardy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle is late for her first day of rehearsals.

The sound of tuning instruments filled the air as the members of the Storybrooke Orchestra prepared for rehearsal. They had been informed earlier that day in a meeting that there was a new piece added to their set and they were eager to practice. It was piece audiences adored, and most members of the orchestra had played it numerous times, so no one had complained. Gold glanced at his watch and saw that it was time to begin, so he walked over to the stand, baton in hand and took his place on his pedestal. The chatter that had been floating around the room with the notes died down quickly, everyone knowing that Gold expected complete concentration when it came to rehearsals. He did not appreciate musicians who did not take their job seriously, and had been known to berate an instrumentalist to tears for misbehaving. He gathered everyone to attention and moved his hand to begin the fist note-

“I’m sorry I’m late!” A gentle feminine voice cut through the air, making Gold stop mid-movement and look at the source of his disruption. It was Belle. She rushed inside, shedding her jacket and trying to pull out her violin at the same time, and she practically collapsed into the empty chair that had been waiting for her. She looked up at Gold, who knew that had this been anyone else, he would make an example of them, but when she looked at him with such sincere apology in her eyes, he found he hadn’t the will to break her as he had others.

Instead, he gestured for her to join him on the pedestal and when she stood next to him he addressed the musicians. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “This is Ms. Belle French, our new violinist.”

Belle smiled at the crowd. “Hello, everyone,” she greeted. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I look forward to working with you.” Her eyes strayed and she caught sight of Ruby Lucas sitting in the oboe section and she raised her hand in greeting to her friend. Ruby returned the gesture.

“Ms. French was hired yesterday, and this is, obviously, her first rehearsal with us. It will also be the only rehearsal in which she arrives late,” he looked at Belle, “Isn’t that right, Ms. French?”

She nodded dutifully. “Yes, sir,” she agreed and he allowed her to return to her seat. Some members looked at each other with interest. Typically Gold was ruthless when it came to tardiness, regardless of whether or not the person was new. While his tone had been firm, he’d barely reacted to her being late, and a few of the musicians began to whisper their confusion to each other.

Gold was quick to bring order back to the meeting and informed everyone that idle chit chat could wait until after rehearsal. Once everyone was situated and focused again, Gold raised his hand. “Very well,” he said, “Now that we’re all here, let’s begin.”


	3. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle isn’t sure whether or not to audition for first chair.

Rehearsals had been going well, so Belle thought. She’d been part of the Storybrooke Orchestra for a little over a week, and she’d already made a couple friends. Of course there was Ruby, whom she’d met at university, and there was also Mary Margaret Blanchard, an extremely talented cellist. After a particularly grueling morning of rehearsals, the three girls sat in the practice room alone, eating their lunch before the next round of rehearsals were due to start.   
  
“Are you going to audition for first chair?” Mary Margaret asked before taking a sip of her water. The announcement that auditions would be held for a new concertmaster had been big news for the violinists, all eager to finally be recognized for their talent.   
  
“Oh, I don’t know,” Belle shrugged, taking a bite of her sandwich and chewing thoughtfully. “I mean, it has crossed my mind, but I’m new here, and I’m sure there are others who deserve it more than the new girl.”   
  
“Are you kidding?!"  Ruby exclaimed, "Girl, I’ve heard you play. You are incredible. You should audition.”   
  
“You really should,” Mary Margaret agreed, “At least to show them that you’re serious. Gold is a tough director, but he values those who work hard and show real dedication.”   
  
Belle considered it for a moment before responding, “Tell you what. I’ll think about it.”   
  
“Well don’t think too long,” Ruby chided, “Auditions are the day after tomorrow.”   
  
The two girls stood, wiping crumbs off their clothes before looking down at Belle. “We’re gonna go grab our instruments, you wanna come with?” Ruby asked and Belle patted her case at her side.  
  
“That’s okay. I think I may stay here and play for a bit. Think about auditioning and all that. I’ll see you when rehearsals start.” Her friends nodded and exited the practice room, talking excitedly over one of the pieces they were to rehearse that day. Belle sighed and leaned over, pulling her case onto her lap. She opened it and pulled out the violin, staring closely at it, deep in thought.   
  
“You should, you know.”   
  
Belle whipped her head around to the other side of the room to see Gold leaning against the frame, arms crossed casually. He stepped forward and continued, “You have an amazing talent, Ms. French; one that could be explored and perfected as concertmaster. I think you should audition.”   
  
She regarded him carefully. He was a slim and handsome man, with shoulder-length hair that her hands itched to touch. Ever since the moment she’d walked into his office, she’d been attracted to him, and if she were concertmaster, she would probably end up spending a good deal of time with him.   
  
That alone was worth auditioning for, she thought suddenly. “You know,” she whispered softly letting her eyes lock with his, “I think I will.”   
  
“Good,” he said, his voice low and accent thick, “Auditions will be in the performance hall at one o'clock on Friday.” She nodded in understanding and he turned to walk out of the room. He reached the door, turned and looked at her again. “Oh and Ms. French,” he said, his tone light, “Try not to be late.”   
  
She smiled and laughed out loud, “I’ll try, sir.” 


	4. Promotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle is called into Gold’s office, though she can’t fathom why.

Belle was extremely nervous. She’d received a call from Conductor Gold earlier that morning requesting that she meet him in his office before rehearsals. She’d agreed to meet him at 9:00 and he merely hummed in agreement and hung up.

She wondered what he could want with her. She hadn’t been late since her first day, and as far as she knew she hadn’t done anything else to upset him or the other players. She was getting along well with everyone, so she thought, and had made several friends since starting with the company.

Lugging her violin case, purse, and bag containing sheet music, bottled water, and a small bagged lunch, she made her way toward his office. She knocked with her free hand and heard his muffled call of, “Enter.”

She slipped inside and closed the door. He was distracted, she could tell, by the sheet music on his desk. He was studying it carefully and she wondered if he even realized he had given her permission to enter. Shuffling her feet in nervousness, she softly cleared her throat, causing Richard to jump slightly and look up at her curiously.

“Ah, Ms. French,” he stated, returning to the controlled demeanor he usually wore around the musicians.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” Belle asked, hating herself for sounding so small and hesitant. Richard nodded and indicated that she sit. She deposited her belongings on the empty chair next to her and sat down, back straight, hands resting on her lap.

“I did,” he acknowledged. He turned and began to dig around in a drawer in his desk and Belle took the opportunity to look around. She’d only been in here once before, and then she hadn’t had time to really observe her surroundings. The walls were covered with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, each shelf stuffed full with books on music theory, composers biographies, notebooks full of sheet music, and a variety of other things. Where there weren’t books there were plaques and awards from his long years as both a musician and a conductor. She could make out some prestigious awards collecting dust on the shelves, and she wondered when he’d last cleaned in here. She looked at his desk, which was covered with papers- mostly sheet music. He had an older model computer on the corner of the desk, where she noticed the faint sounds of a piece by Puccini playing.

Finally he sat up straight, and Belle turned her attention back to him. He held up a piece of paper that was creased from being folded several times and waved it slightly at her. “Do you know what this is?”

She shook her head.

He handed it to her. “It’s from your audition for first chair,” he explained as she looked at it. It was covered in his writing with numerous complements scribbled all over. She read each one with increasing awe, a blush steadily forming on her cheeks. “I was quite impressed with your rendition of Liebesfreud,” he began. “Hopper agreed,” he continued. “Therefore, it is my honor to extend to you the position of first chair.”

Belle’s gaze shot up to meet his, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. “Wh-what?” She asked in shock.

“You’re being offered the position of first chair, Ms. French,” Richard repeated slowly. “That  _ _was__ what you were auditioning for, correct?”

She blinked and shook her head slightly, trying to clear the cloud of confusion that had settled over her. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, it was. It’s just…me?” She asked breathlessly.

“And why not you?” Richard asked, leaning forward. “You were perfect.”

She flushed deeper still and held her head down, staring at the elegant writing that contained nothing but praise for her. “I-“ she whispered, unsure of what to do. Finally, she collected herself and looked up, meeting his eyes again. “Thank you,” she breathed and Richard smiled at her.

“No, Ms. French,” he said as he stood and held out his hand to her, “Thank you.”

She rose as well and shook his hand, both of them holding on just a moment longer than necessary.

 

 


	5. Nerves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Storybrooke Orchestra’s first performance with Belle as concertmaster (first violin). She gets nervous.

She stood away from the rest of the ensemble, fidgeting nervously. This wasn’t her first concert, far from it, but she’d never been more nervous in her entire life. She could hear the chatter of the patrons in the auditorium, and the louder they got the dizzier she felt. It was getting uncomfortably hot and she could feel herself about to panic. She needed air. She waved at Ruby from across the room and mouthed “I’ll be right back”, but before the other girl could respond, Belle dashed out of the room and toward the back exit.   
  
The cool Maine air that hit her when she walked out had never felt more welcome. She leaned against the brick wall of the building and forced herself to breathe, slowly and deeply. She didn’t know why she was so nervous, but she did know that it was an unpleasant feeling and she wished it would go away. She knew all of these pieces by heart; could play them in her sleep if she so desired. She’d never been concertmaster before, and she wondered if that was where the nerves were coming from; that or-   
  
“I was told I’d find you here. Are you all right?” She didn’t move her head, afraid she’d pass out or vomit if she did so, but she rolled her eyes toward the source of the voice and saw Gold standing a few feet away from her, concern etched on his face.   
  
“I’m sorry, sir,” she apologized breathlessly, “I just needed some air. Got a sudden bout of nerves.” She felt a wave of nausea wash over her and closed her eyes in an effort to fight it off. She felt his hand gently wrap around her arm and he turned her slightly so she could lean her back against his chest.   
  
“It’s perfectly natural to be nervous,” Gold whispered in her ear, and if she didn’t feel so sick, she could have melted at just how close he was holding her. “You’re going to be brilliant out there. Everyone will love you, you’ll see.”   
  
She nodded, her head rubbing against his shoulder and she sighed, both at the calm she was starting to feel, and at the fact that she was in his arms. She’d dreamed about this for weeks now, convinced that he would never see her as anything other than an employee, but perhaps that was not the case. He was holding her close, genuinely concerned about her, and she tried to push aside the thought of him doing this before each performance. It would not do to get worked up over this - especially not when she needed to focus on the performance. 

Once her breathing returned to a natural rhythm, Gold turned her around to face him, and he cupped her cheeks with his hands. “You’ve done wonderfully these past few weeks,” he whispered, “And no matter how tonight goes- and it will go flawlessly- I want you to know that I am extremely proud of you. Listening to you play has been a delight, and tonight will be no exception, okay?”   
  
She watched him with wonder, amazed that he was saying these things to her, and she began to feel all doubt and hesitation slip away. Richard Gold believed in her, and she could do this.   
  
“Okay, sir,” she whispered and he chuckled.   
  
“Richard,” he said gently.   
  
Her mouth felt dry, so she merely nodded and his eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Then let’s get back in there and show them how Beethoven is meant to be played,” he said, offering her his arm and she took it happily.   
  
The concert was a success, as he’d promised. After the curtain call, while the rest of the ensemble celebrated in the practice room, Gold led Belle into his office and rewarded her efforts with a kiss.


End file.
